This quirky take on a Christmas classic is the gift that will keep on giving, long after the 13th day.
We all know the story of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”—but what about the messy aftermath?
A partridge in a pear tree appears on the lonely protagonist’s doorstep—a thoughtful Christmas gift from a faraway true love, Trudy. Twelve days later, our hero’s bombarded by the wackiest assortment of presents imaginable: lords-a-leaping, maids-a-milking, and birds…so many birds! The loving gesture now feels like a cruel joke. On day 13, the protagonist and the ragtag entourage accidentally start a parade, delighting onlookers and picking up new friends along the way: “fun-runners running, electric bikers biking, skateboarders leaping.” The read-aloud set will find themselves intuitively singing certain passages to the classic tune thanks to the clever, rhythmic prose. Tongue-in-cheek graphic novel–style panels are complemented by full-page painterly spreads in Rex’s recognizable style. This heartfelt, extra-long picture book puts a weird, wacky, and wonderful spin on a familiar Christmas song. Rex’s signature snarky humor will appeal to both elementary schoolers and their grown-ups. The protagonist presents white and male, while the cast of characters is diverse. In a subtle feminist nod, Trudy—brown-skinned, with a partially shaved head—appears in the final pages to propose marriage.
This quirky take on a Christmas classic is the gift that will keep on giving, long after the 13th day. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780823456536
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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